South Hills Students Have Access to Technology in and out of the Classroom

Sandra J. Gibble is director of regulatory affairs at South Hills School of Business and Technology.

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By Sandra J. Gibble

Increased technology in education has impacted both the way instructors teach in the classroom and the way students learn, and South Hills School of Business and Technology uses technology ranging from mobile computing devices to e-textbooks. Implementing technology in the classroom is about more than just using digital devices in class — it’s about improving teaching effectiveness and the learning process between instructors and students.

Some of South Hills’s programs leverage mobile computing devices to provide high-end software packages to each student in the program. Not only does this allow for more active learning both in and out of the classroom, it enables each student to have access to software and learning tools 24 hours a day, every day.

South Hills has increased its use of e-textbooks in some programs. The value of this technology is that students have textbooks and course materials that are always up to date. Subject matter is dynamic and timely, with links embedded into the material. E-textbooks have increased the availability of resources at a reduced cost to students.

The use of the digital Learning Management System school-wide benefits both students and instructors. Students have access to course content 24 hours a day, which increases their ability to study or complete coursework at a time most convenient to them. This allows for flexibility should the student work or spend time tending to their family. The digital automation benefits instructors by speeding up tedious, time-consuming tasks, such as tracking student attendance and performance, and modifying course content.

While this may not be directly related to learning, technology is used at South Hills to notify students about campus safety and security alerts. Safety alerts that involve crime, weather or other related incidents are sent to each student’s cell phone number. Students then can be more aware of their surroundings and take action to protect themselves.

The key to technology in the classroom is always going to be the instructor-student relationship, because that’s where the education happens. Technology is a highly effective tool, but at South Hills, it’s not meant to replace the teacher.

Sandra J. Gibble is director of regulatory affairs at South Hills School of Business and Technology.